Guffey Gorge Swimming Hole

Located in Guffey, CO, Guffey Gorge aka Paradise Cove, is a popular cliff jumping destination and seems to be mostly frequented by locals and families with children. I found the spot through some google searches of swimming holes near Colorado Springs. The website gave perfect driving directions but very little else in the way of details so we didn't really know what we'd find.We arrived around 9am hoping to have the place to ourselves for a few hours but we were actually the third group to arrive and it only got busier as the day went on. There are two parking areas near the the trailhead to Guffey Gorge, room enough for at least 30 vehicles. There are also restrooms in the parking lot but on the day we visited, they were trashed and pretty gross. The trail to the waterfall is about 1/4 mile and is beautiful from the start. It follows a stream and leads up a hill where it suddenly opens up to overlook a beautiful waterfall pouring down the cliffs and into a small lake.

When we arrived, there were already four teenagers taking turns jumping off the cliff and into the frigid water below. There was also a young couple swimming with their dog. For the first hour, we were the only groups at the spot and we had fun wading in the water and letting Jane wade up to her chest.

Late morning, people started slowly streaming into the area and Alex, Jane and I retreated farther down the path, away from the waterfall. We hiked along some huge boulders and finally settled onto one and ate our lunch as we soaked in the sun. Eventually, we made our way back towards the waterfall to find that the area had certainly filled up! There were many people exploring and a line of kids waiting to jump off the cliff. After putting our feet in the water one last time, we made our way back to the car but not before we found a side trail so that Alex could celebrate World Naked Hiking Day.

Guffey Gorge is a gorgeous spot and we would definitely visit again. We'd probably try to arrive even earlier in the morning and definitely not on a weekend or holiday.